Rotary engine.



W. H. H. MORELOGK.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIGATION FILED APRA, 1912.

Patented Mal. 25, 1913;.

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W. H. H. MORELOGK.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APRA, 1912.

Patented M3122@ 1913.

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W. H. H. MORELOCK.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4, 1912.

Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

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UNTTED sTATEs PATENT orifice.

WILLIAM H. H. MORELOCK, OF TONESBORQ ARKANSAS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. H. Monn- LooK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jonesboro, in the county of .Craighead and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines; and I do declare the fol lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in rotary engines.

One object of the invention is to provide a rotary engine having an improved construction and arrangement of blades and abutment operated mechanism whereby the abutment of the engine cylinder is turned at the proper time to permit the wing or blade of the piston to pass and whereby the valve in the steam inlet or supply pipe will be opened or closed at the proper time to admit a charge of steam to the engine cylinder.

Another object is to provide a rotary engine which will take steam during almost the entire revolution of the piston and which may be quickly and easily reversed.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, and the combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is an end elevation of my improved engine with parts in section; Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a central vertical longitudinal section; Fig. 4 is a central vertical cross section; Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4;, Fig. 6 is a detail section of a portion of one of the cylinder heads and the steam exhaust pipes showing more particularly the arrangement of the exhaust valves in said pipes; Fig. 7

is a side view of the abutment of the engine cylinder; Fig. 8 is a cross section thereof taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7 Fig. 9 is a side view of a portion of the piston of the engine showing the construction and arrangement ofthe wing thereof and its pack` ing blocks; Fig. 10 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a cross sectional view on the line 11-11 of Fig. 10; Fig. 12 is a side View of a modified form of Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed .April 4, 1912.v

Eatented Mar. 25, 1913.

serial No. 688,440.

tion on the side of the cylinder and preferably at the top of the same is arranged a steam chest 6 to one end of which is connected a steam supply pipe 7 In the bottom of the steam chest near its ends and extending through the side of the cylinder are steam inlet ports 8 and 9 between which andl revolubly mounted in a semicircular recess 10 in the inner edge of the side of the cylinder, is a cylindrical abutment 11 the stem or shaft of which projects through and is revolubly mounted in the heads 4 and 5 of the cylinder. The abutment 11 is provided in one side with a recess 12, the inner wall of which 'when the abutment is turned inthe proper position will be flush with the inner surface of the sides of the cylinder. The recess 12 in the abutment corresponds in length to the width of the piston of the engine, so that when said abutment is turned to bring the recessed portion thereof toward the inner side of thecylinder, the wing or blade of the piston'will be permitted to pass as will be hereinafter more fully described. In the head or end 5 of the cylinder on opposite with the outer ends of which are connected steam discharge pipes 15 and 16 in which are respectively arranged exhaust valves 17 and 18. In the steam supply pipe 7 is arranged an inlet valve 19 which is adapted to be opened and closed to admit steam to the steam chest 6 at the proper time by means of a valve operating mechanism hereinafter described. The abutment 11 is provided with a packing strip 11a arranged therein as shown to form a steam tight engagement with the piston.

Revolu'bly mounted in the heads 4 and 5 of the cylinder is a drive shaft 20 the ends Vof which are eXtended beyond the heads of the cylinder and are revolubly mounted in suitable bearing standards 2l secured to the sub-base 3 as shown. Fixed on the shaft 2() is a cylindrical piston 22 the diameter of which is somewhat less than the inside di ameter of the cylinder. The piston 22 and the drive shaft 20 are mounted concentrically to the inner surface of the cylinder and the piston has its ends concaved or recessed to form a web 23 which connects the rim of the piston with the hub thereof. The ends of the heads of the cylinder are also preferably concaved to fit the concavities in the ends of the piston. On the inner sides of the ends or heads of the cylinder are arranged annular packing rings 24 which closely engage the opposite ends of the piston and form a steam tight connection between said ends and' the heads of the cylinder. Arranged at a suitable point on the edge or side of the piston is a wing or blade 25, said wing or blade being in the form of a cam or eccentric projection, the ends of which rise gradually from the side of the piston toward a centrally reduced portion 26. Arranged in the recess formed by the reduced central portion of the blade 25 are segmental packing blocks 27 having on their outer edges segmental flanges 28 which fit over the edges of the reduced portion of the blade as shown. One of the blocks 27 is provided on its inner edge with a lugl 29 which is engaged with a notch 30 in the inner edge of the other block, said lug and notch thus holding the blocks in alinement. rlhe blocks 27 are forced outwardly both radially and laterally by a series of coiled springs 31 which are arranged in sockets formed in the reduced port-ion of the blade, said springs thus holding the packing blocks in yielding steam tight engagement with the inner surfaces of the heads and side ofthe cylinder.

FiXedly mounted on the end of the drive shaft 2O adjacent to the outer side of the l hub 4 of the cylinder is a steam inlet and abutment operating disk 32 in the o-uter side of which is formed a cam groove 33. Pivot-ally mounted on a short stud shaft 34 projecting from the head 4 of the cylinder is a bell crank valve and abutment operating lever 35, the lower shorter arm of which has revolubly mounted on its outer end a roller 36' which is adapted to engage the cam groove 33 in the disk 32 whereby when said disk is revolved by the engine shaft, said lever will be rocked. The upper longer arm of the lever 35 is connected by a link 37 to 'a wrist pin 38 arranged eccentrically on a crank disk 39 iiXedly mounted on the adjacent projecting end of the shaftof the abutment 11. The lever 35 may be held in position on the studshaft 34 by a cotter pin or any other suitable form of fastening and a similar fastening may be employed for detachably securing the crank disk 37 on the shaft of the abutment. On the crank disk 37 ladjacent to the wrist pin 3S is also arranged a wrist pin 39 which is connected by an operating rod 41 to a crank arm 42 secured to the stem of the steam inlet valve 19 in the steam supply pipe 7. The disk 32 is arranged on the drive shaft of the engine in such position with respect to the blade or wing of the piston that immediately before the wing or blade reaches the abutment the cam groove 33 in the disk will actuate the bell crank lever 35 to turn the abutment in such position that the notch or recess therein will be opposite to the side of the piston, thus opening the space between the side or edge of the piston and the. adjacent inner side of the cylinder to allow the abutment valve to pass the abutment as the piston revolves. As soon as the wing or blade passes the' abutment the cam slot will actuate the lever 35 to again turn the solid portion of the abutment across the space between the piston and the cylinder through the medium of the' crank disk 40 and its connections with the bell crank lever.' Simultaneously with the turning of the abutment across the space between the piston and the cylinder the vinlet valve 19 in the steam supply pipe 7 will be turned on or opened by the crank arm 42 and the rod 41 which connects said valve with the crank disk 40. The valve 19 when thus opened will be held in an open position during almostthe entire revolution of the piston and the disk 32, said valve being again closed by the cam groove 33 acting on the bell crank lever 35 just before the blade 25 of the piston reaches the exhaust port of the cylinder which is being approached by the blade.

In order to reverse the direction of the engine, I provide a reversing valve 43 which is slidably mjounted on the bottom of the steam chest and is adapted to be shifted back and forth to open and close the steam inlet ports S and 9 whereby steam is admitted from the steam chest to the cylinder on one side or the other of the abutment 11, thus driving the piston. The valve 43 is provided with a stem 44 which works through a stuffing box in one end of the steam chest. Mounted in bearing brackets 45 on the side of the cylinder is a rock shaft 46 on which is arranged a crank arm 47 having a bifurcated upper end which loosely engages the projecting outer end of the valve stem 44 between two transversely disposed stop pins 48 arranged in and projecting laterally from the sides of the valve stem 44.

On one end of the rock shaft 46 is arranged a crank arm 49 which is loosely connected to one end of a valve operating rod 50 the opposite end of which is secured to a connecting bar 51 which is pivotally connected with the ends of short crank arms 53 secured to the exhaust valves 17 and 18. Engaged with theopposite end of the rock shaft from the crank arm` 49 is a reversing lever 54 by means of which the shaft 46 is turned to shift the reversing valve 43 in the desired direction for covering one of the steam inlet ports and uncovering the other port of the steam chest. This operation of the rock shaft 46 also turns the exhaust valves 17 and 18 to open one of the exhaust pipes and close the other. The exhaust valves 17 and 18 are so arranged that when the inlet port 8 of the cylinder is opened the exhaust port 13 will be closed by its exhaust valve while the exhaust valve of the port 14 will be opened. ln the same manner when the steam inlet port 9 is open the exhaust port 14 will be closed and the exhaust port 13 opened. By providing the loose connection between the crank arm 47 and the stem or rod of the reversing valve and connecting the exhaust valves directly with their operating arm of the rock shaft, the exhaust valves will be actuated before the reversing valve is shifted, thus preventing any live steam from being wasted when admitted to the working side of the engine.

In Figs. 12, 13 and 14 of the drawings is shown a slightly modified construction of piston wing or blade 55. The wing or blade 55 is employed only in connection with engines which are not intended to be reversed, and said blade comprises a segmental projection, one end of which rises gradually from the edge of the piston, while the opposite end of the blade is reduced as at 56 and to said reduced portion is secured an outer segmental packing plate 57, side packing strips 58 and an end strip 59. The end of the wing or blade to which the strip 59 is secured terminates in the form of a square shoulder and projects at right angles from the edge or side of the piston. The end of the wing or blade when thus constructed forms a flat abrupt obstruction to the pressure of the steam admitted to the adjacent space between the piston and the cylinder so that the full force of the steam strikes squarely against the blade or wing. The packing plates 57 and 58 are projected outwardly and held in yielding steam tight engagement with the inner surfaces of the heads and side of the cylinder by coiled springs 60 arranged in suitable sockets or recesses in the adjacent portion of the wing as shown.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my what I claim is;

1. In a rotary engine, a cylinder, a drive shaft revolubly mounted therein, a piston fixed on said shaft, a wing arranged on the piston, a packing block located in the recessed portion of the wing, one of said side blocks having therein a notch, a lug formed on the adjoining edge of the adjacent block to slidably engage said notch, means for forcing said blocks upwardly into steam tight engagement with the inner sides of the cylinder, an abutment arranged in said cylinder, a steam chest having steam inlet ports opening into a cylinder on the opposite sides of the abutment, a steam valve to control the admission of steam to said steam chest, and means operated by the drive shaft of the engine to turn said abutment at the proper time to permit the wings on the piston to passnand to simultaneously open said steam inlet valve.

2. In a rotary engine, a cylinder, a drive shaft revolubly mounted therein, a piston xed on said shaft, a wing arranged on said piston and having a steam tight engage* ment with the adjacent parts of the cylinder, an abutment arranged in the cylinder, a steam chest having steam inlet ports opening into the cylinder on opposite sides of the abutment, a steam inlet valve to control the admission of steam to said steam chest, steam exhaust pipes connected with said cylinder and opening into the same on opposite sides of the abutment, valves arranged in said steam exhaust pipes, a reversing valve arranged in said steam chest and adapted to be shifted to open or close one or the other of said steam inlet ports, whereby, the piston is driven in one direction or the other, a stem connected with said valve and projecting through the steam chest, a rock shaft mounted on the engine cylinder, a crank arm fixed on said shaft and having a loose connection with the stem of the valve in said steam chest, whereby, the latter is shifted to open and close said steam inlet ports, a second crank arm fixed on said rock shaft, crank arms connected with the valves in said steam exhaust pipes, a con necting rod to connect the crank arms of said valves with the last mentioned crank arm on said rock shaft, whereby, when the invent-ion,

latter is turned to shift the valve in said l steam chest for opening and closing said steam inlet ports the valves in said exhaust pipes will be turned in the proper direction for opening one of said exhaust pipes and closing the other and means actuated by the movement of the rock shaft of the engine to turn said abutment in the proper direction and at the proper time to permit the wing on the piston to pass the abutment and to si multaneously open the valve in the steam inlet pipe.

3. In a rotary engine, a cylinder, a drive shaft revolubly mounted therein, a piston fixed on said shaft, a Wing arranged on said piston and having a centrally recessed portion, packing blocks arranged in said recessed portion of the Wing one of said blocks having therein a notch, a lug formed on the adjoining edge of the adjacent block to slidably engage said notch, springs adapted to project said blocks upwardly into steam tight engagement with the inner sides of the Cylinder, an abutmentv arranged in the cylinder, a steam chest having steam inlet ports opening into the cylinder on the oppo* site slides of the abutment, a steam inlet valve to control the'admission of steam to said steam chest, and means operated by the drive shaft of the engine to turn said abutment atthe proper time to permit the Wing on the piston to pass and to simultaneously open said steam inlet valve.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses..

WILLIAM H. H. MORELOCK.

Titnesses G. Gr. BROOKS, T. W. ALTuAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

